 Hi friends, we are going to follow the Eugenia series. The month of Eugenia is July 2021. The topic is Northeastern States. So, in that we will see there are two Eugenia series in this. So, in that first one is regarding agriculture and sustainable development and few important informations regarding Northeastern States. So, this is the topic we are going to discuss today. So, in that first topic is agriculture and sustainable development. So, this term agriculture, first we need to understand this term agriculture. So, agriculture is a term used to clay to farming. It is not only farming, farming along with allied activities comes under agriculture. So, that is the concept we need to keep in mind. So, agriculture includes farming along with allied activities. So, animal husbandry is also included, fisheries is also included. Then, sustainable development. So, what is sustainable development? If you want to put in layman terms using resources taking into consideration of future generation that is called sustainable development. So, how agriculture and sustainable development can be interlinked from the perspective of Northeastern States. So, we will see the important information in this article. So, paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. So, in paragraph 1, focuses on Northeastern State or Northeastern Region. So, what they call it as Northeastern Region consisting of 8 States. So, probably we call them as 7 Sisters along with Sikkim. So, all this comprises Northeastern States. So, that is given in paragraph 1 and they have given some factual numbers. So, what are the total area and so, what are the populations? All these factual information are given which is important for your answer writing when any question is based on Northeastern State. So, you see some of the facts in it. So, 9 percentage of total area. If we compare for Indian geographical spread, 9 percentage goes for Northeastern Region. And so, around 35 percentage of this area considered to be plain. So, what are the remaining aspect is so, 35 percentage is expected to plain area. So, remaining things are mountain ecosystems whereas in this Assam Constitute. So, this is a very subset of information. So, 84 percentage of plain area. So, out of this total geographical spread of plain area Assam Constitute 85 percentage. So, these are some factual information. The most important factual information is around 9 percentage of total area in India belongs to Northeastern States. And population is around 46 million. So, these are the factual information. So, when you want to write an answer, you can relate all these things or if they speak about Northeastern Region's geographical uniqueness where you can give these information. Around 35 percentage is plain area remaining is mountain ecosystem or Himalayan ecosystem. So, that is given in paragraph 1. Whereas next in paragraph 2, they speak about cropping intensity. So, as this topic is based on agriculture, there is regarding cropping intensity. First we need to understand what is cropping intensity means. There is some definition for cropping industry just for technical point of view, but we can see in layman terms that is gross cropped area divided by net swan area. So, this seems to be technical. If you want to put in very layman terms, assume that if you are a farmer and you have one hectare of land. So, we have 12 months in a given year. How many times you are using that land for forming activities? So, that determines the crop productivity, sorry, cropping intensity. Take example, Punjab where it is being used throughout the year. So, cropping intensity will be very high when compared with Vidarbha or any desert area. Cropping intensity will be not that much intensive. For example, during rainy times they go for agriculture, remaining things will be barren land. So, this is what is called cropping intensity. So, why this information we are seeing here is. So, they have given some information regarding cropping intensity where the highest ones are Tiripura, Manipur, Mizoram and Assam. So, that is Tiripura which has the highest cropping intensity followed by Manipur. Manipur, Mizoram and Assam. So, in these areas where cropping intensity is around 150 percentage. So, they are using the land more when compared with the other states of northeast region. So, this clearly shows that these states are dominated with agricultural activities. So, that is the information based on this fact we can understand. Okay. The next paragraph 3. So, annual rainfall is around 2000 millimetre. So, annual rainfall. The most important determinant of agricultural activity is 2000 millimetre, accounting for 10 percentage of countries precipitation, 10 percentage of total precipitation. So, if you take rainfall in entire India, 10 percentage of rainfall posed in northeastern region. Okay. And soil type strongly acidic in nature, soil acidic rich in organic matter, rich in organic matter. So, this can be question in problems also. So, for agriculture one is rainfall other soil type both are given here acidic in nature and rich in organic content and also rainfall is around 10 percentage of total India's rainfall posed in northeastern region. So, these are some basic facts you need to know about agricultural importance, how these factors influence agricultural activities. Okay. That is given in paragraph 3. So, paragraph 4 is another factual information around 80 percentage population is in rural areas or 80 percentage of northeastern region population is rural aspect. So, northeastern region is dominated by rural areas. So, that is another factual information. Our next thing is paragraph 5. So, land holding. So, land holding in northeastern state is around 1.69 hectare where national average is around 1.15 hectare. So, land holding is nothing but individual what the land holding aspect is 1.69 hectare regarding agricultural lands which is very high when compared with national average of 1.15 hectare. Okay. But there is one catch here. So, what are the biggest aspect is topographic disadvantage. So, topographic disadvantage. So, what are these topographic disadvantages? You cannot use the entire land for agricultural activities because undulating trains where we have valleys and all those things. So, it has the biggest impact on agricultural activities. So, and also topsoil loss is also very high. So, topsoil loss is very high that is 46 tons per hectare whereas all India average is around 16 tons per hectare. So, these are some of the factors have an influencing on northeastern states. One is though land holding is very high because of topography where it is we saw that around approximately around 65 percentage is mountain ecosystem where farming is not possible and also topsoil loss is also very high in northeastern region which 46 tons per hectare. Next thing is paragraph 5. So, around 20 percentage of area is irrigated and fertilizer consumption is around 11 kg per hectare and where Arunachal Pradesh has only 2 kgs and 72 kgs in Manipur. So, this information what you can understand is when you compare with the national average and states like Punjab and Haryana where fertilizer consumption is very high which clearly shows that Indian agriculture in especially Punjab Haryana is dominated by chemical character, chemical fertilizers. So, what is the scope we can understand from this information is when you say about organic or organic products all this can be related to northeastern states because agriculture practices in northeastern states never used fertilizer lot especially states like Arunachal Pradesh only 2 kg per hectare where highest one is Manipur 72 kg per hectare. If you go and check Punjab Haryana it is well above very high national average is beyond national average the Punjab Haryana fertilizer consumption is very high. So, there is a potential for organic farming in northeastern state this factual information you can use it for your answer writing if they ask about how to develop northeastern states or what can be done all this factual information you can use it and farming is predominantly rice based with little slatex sikkim focusing on maize. So, you can see that farming activities are entirely dominated for rice cultivation and mixed farming is also being done by northeastern states we will see that what this mixed farming is. So, this is given in page number 18 these are the informations in page number 18. So, as in page number 19 okay so paragraph 1 paragraph 2 3 4 and 5 and paragraph 6. So, in paragraph 1 already based on the previous page some mixed farming. So, what is mixed farming is in agriculture if you are focusing only on monocropping where you never use other aspects of agriculture like animal husbandry and fisheries. So, that is the biggest impact on financial aspects and ecological aspects. So, mixed farming practice always suggestible one where you can incorporate all different aspects of agriculture in a particular land where northeastern states are known for this. So, what a reason behind this is because of the cultural aspect they want to consume their own food. So, northeastern people especially in farming activity they go for doing farming activity for their personal consumption. So, they go for rice cultivation they have their animal husbandry all those things to support their livelihoods to support their everyday life. So, that is the reason why mixed farming is very good in northeastern states another natural advantage of northeastern states agricultural activities okay and they have given the reason that people are non-vegetarians. So, they also focus on animal husbandry okay. So, that is the paragraph 1 so it makes paragraph 2. So, when you go for poverty elevation in paragraph 2 based on mixed farming practices poverty elevation in northeastern states. So, poverty elevation in northeastern states which should be based on ecoregional planning. So, care regional planning of agriculture development. So, that should be the focus for the government. So, ecoregional planning by understanding the region and ecology if you are going for planning process for agriculture development that results in poverty elevation. So, if you give some alien ideas to northeastern states for development especially agriculture which will have a biggest negative impact because culturally people are designed in this way for example, dominate by rice cultivation mixed farming. So, understanding all these things and also the ecology and the regional aspect of that where if you go for planning process that helps to alleviate poverty. So, this point you can use it for anything regarding development of northeastern states or regarding planning for region sensitive one all these points you can use it that is paragraph 2. So, paragraph 3. So, central government state governments undertake several initiatives stimulate regional economy and promote agriculture growth. Low productivity and risky agriculture production environment are the primary cause of already trading rural livelihood. So, now the major reason why agriculture is failing in northeastern states is low productivity this applies not only for northeastern states even that applies for entire India and also risky agricultural production environment risky agricultural production environment. So, we will see that. So, low productivity means there is a difference between the term production and productivity. So, productivity production is the total output productivity means per unit area what is the output that is called productivity. So, in India productivity in agriculture is very low and especially in northeastern states low productivity and you can clearly understand the major objective of farming activity in northeastern states for their personal consumption. So, they will not concentrate on productivity. Our next thing is risky agriculture production environment here you can relate with this concept called shifting cultivation that is another biggest problem in northeastern states especially in agricultural practices. So, what is shifting cultivation is a traditional practice they occupy a hilly area and cut off the trees and do agricultural activities until the fertilizer fertility is available there and once that is being deteriorating they leave out that area and go for new patch of land that is called shifting agriculture or shifting cultivation even there is a term called zoom jhu m. So, zoom cultivation. So, this has also had an ecological impact because you clear a land in a hilly terrain and leave out the land and go for new patch area. So, especially during monsoon times and all it creates a lot of trouble ecological impact and disaster is very high. So, that is risky agriculture production environment. So, these are the factors which impacts agriculture in northeastern states. So, next thing is smaller size of cultivable areas smaller size of cultivable areas there is another problem in cultivable areas in northeastern states because the terrain is similar to that where you cannot go for horizontal expansion of agricultural lands because undulating terrain where we have the mountain ecosystem. So, land for agriculture it is a very small area. So, these also have a negative impact on northeastern agriculture. And another most important thing is the spread of this agricultural land is also very lopsided where we can see in paragraph 5. So, at regional level Assam occupies the highest share accounting for 78 percentage of total cultivable area. So, Assam has the 78 percentage of cultivable area. Here you can understand the risk of northeastern region because in the entire northeastern region Assam dominates with cultivable area. So, northeastern people's food security for understanding purpose entirely depends upon the one state Assam it is not Assam we are other parts of India is going to contribute but we think from regional perspective Assam has the greatest concentration of cultivable areas which is considered to be very risky. So, that is another important information we need to understand here. So, what are other important characters of agriculture in northeastern region is given in paragraph 6. So, one is so northeastern region is extremely diverse uneven land high and variable rainfall pattern ethnicity does all have an impact on agriculture one is northeastern region is diverse. So, people's consumption pattern will be very diverse because people based on tribal culture they have their own consumption pattern that is one and also uneven land what we saw right now factual information around 30 percentage or 35 percentage of areas of plain remaining is Himalayan ecosystem and also rainfall pattern is very variable ethnicity people's background is different. The next thing is rice dominates but productivity is low that is another piece of information. So, there is a geophysical limitation for expansion of agricultural land which we saw right now correct. So, and various combination of crop livestock fish silk are followed in that region but such diversification contribution negligibly because the primary objective of agricultural activity in northeastern state is not for market it is more about personal consumption what we called as subsistence agriculture that is what they practice there. So, this given in paragraph 6 of page number 19. Our next thing is another point in that paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4. So, on that account of complete dependence on agriculture it is vulnerable to natural calamities and we always know that northeastern states are known for floods and we saw that around 70 percentage of cultivable areas in Assam and Assam is always known for floods during monsoon time. So, that is because danger for agriculture there and that results in rural poverty. So, that is the point they have given. So, that is in paragraph 1. So, paragraph 1 resulting in failure of agriculture causing rural poverty why agriculture is failing lot of factors what we discussed before one is regarding a cultivable area and also that pattern of agriculture being practiced and soil type rainfall pattern all are contributing to this. So, in paragraph 2 in page number 20. So, they have given the aspect of rice production wise rice production is very low one is low productive local varieties and inadequate irrigation facilities outdated techniques low fertilizers and modern techniques. So, poor rice production and rice is the dominant one in northeastern states and why this happens you can use it you can rice very general points because it is common for agriculture practices one is okay no modern technologies and another thing is local variety local variety of seeds being used. We are seeing from the point of agricultural productivity okay every point has its own merits also next thing is poor irrigation. So, poor irrigation and outdated techniques outdated farming techniques. So, all this makes rice production very poor in northeastern states okay that is given in paragraph 2. So, paragraph 3 they spoke about meat production which is the allied activity of agriculture meat production. So, so meat production is recognized sector is gone up by 38 percentage they have given the time frame that is from 1999 to 2013 there is an increase of 38 percentage in meat production whereas a national average is. So, national average is around 29 percentage meat production 29 percentage in national level but if you go for northeastern states increase 38 percentage which clearly shows that food consumption or lifestyle of the people where they are entirely dominated by non-veg. So, there is a greater demand for meat production let us clearly give the scope for developing northeastern states where we can focus on allied agricultural allied activities where there will be existing market for it okay. So, they have given that so, Arunachal Pradesh has the highest increase in meat production and this is the point they have gone Arunachal Pradesh highest in meat production. So, these are the points which can use it in your answer writing okay next thing is paragraph 4 and regarding milk production in the country. So, per capita availability of milk in the region was only 86 grams per day whereas national average is 299 grams per day. So, northeastern region milk availability or milk consumption. So, milk availability is 86 grams per day whereas national average national average is around 299 grams per day. So, whereas ICMR recommendation is around 220 grams per day which clearly shows that northeastern states have a greatest shortage of milk availability and milk has its own benefits to the people. So, milk availability is very low in northeastern states so that can be ramped up so that there is a potential market for milk in northeastern states but it has its own set of challenges why that is not happening there. So, these are the areas where government can focus on so that is in paragraph 4. With the factual information you can write if you want to improve agriculture in northeastern states what can be done. These are the areas one you can focus on milk production and meat production so potential is available there. Next thing is page number 21 okay so paragraph 1 paragraph 2 paragraph 3 paragraph 4 and 5. So, in paragraph 1 page number 21 so one of the reason why milk production is very low in northeastern states is dominated by buffaloes. So, dominated by buffaloes where milk production is very low. So, where you can focus on introducing new varieties of cows or to increase the milk production. This can be a point you can use it for developing agriculture in northeastern states. Next thing is paragraph 2. So, as flood situation is very rampant in northeastern states so they have given a one important rice called borough rice. So, borough rice especially suitable for flood prone areas. There is a rice variety which is most suitable for flood prone areas especially for northeastern states if you take Assam which they can use it for agriculture activities correct and also they can focus on it is also known for high value crops. So, so high value crops in northeastern states like fashion fruits etc. So, northeastern states has potential for commercial crops like this fashion fruits and all which can be used for agriculture cultivation and it can be exported all these things potentials are there. Now also medicinal plants and all low cost resource conserving practice like zero tillage system of rice intensification. These are some suggestions given for improving agriculture. One is regarding this focusing on borough rice and next thing high value crops potentials are high in northeastern states and also some farming practices like rice intensification and zero tillage. So, that is given in paragraph 2. So, where as paragraph 3 where you can also focus on agro processing so agro processing packaging so packaging packaging and so why this can also be promoted in northeastern states especially from agricultural sector the market is not only northeastern region and we know that northeastern region have a border with South Asia or what we call as Asian trade bloc. So, there is a potential if northeastern states can develop these areas they can explore the new markets. So, new markets is nothing but Asian countries or if you want to put in government policy perspective what we call it as active policy. So, if you want to have good outcome in active policy if you develop northeastern region especially in agricultural sector there is a great potential that they can serve the market for South Asian countries. So, that is what they are also suggesting and paragraph 4 where capacity building so we want to focus on how to improve the people in agricultural activities of northeastern states. So, for example field management committees traditional village panchayats and councils so all this can be developed in northeastern states to build social capital this is the term which we can use it in your answer writing in mains. So, what the point they are saying is if you are able to strengthen this traditional village panchayats and management committees field management committees and if you build the capacity of the local people that results in social capital which in turn results in socio-economic development of the society. So, that is you need to clearly understand and finally in paragraph 5 the suggestion is regional database regional database. So, what they recommend is they want to create a regional database especially from the point of policy for agricultural economy. If you are trying to develop agriculture economy in northeastern states create a database based on that you can take some informed decisions. So, that is another suggestions given for improving agriculture. So, these are some important information regarding agriculture in northeastern states where we can use this information any question regarding how to develop northeastern states you can take this one particular point of agricultural development and give these points or if that is a question regarding why agriculture is not developed in northeastern states you can use all these informations. Potential for agriculture development in northeastern states also you can use these informations. So, that is the article here. Next we focus on certain individual piece of informations. So, there is a piece of information in page number 12. So, Kaladan multimodal transit transport project. So, this is the most important project in northeastern states. It is a connectivity project linking India with Myanmar entering through northeastern states. So, linking India with Myanmar through northeastern states through northeastern states. There is a project which is most important for northeastern states because if you take northeastern states when you say India means they are connecting West Bengal. So, they are connecting West Bengal until Myanmar and one of the important connecting point between Indian mainland and northeastern state is Siliguri corridor a small strip of land small strip of land to connect. So, Indian mainland with northeastern states strategically very important and also infrastructure wise it is more is a bottleneck for connectivity. So, what government is trying to do is they want to break that connectivity aspect and connectivity bottleneck. So, they are going for this project which they link West Bengal with Myanmar through the neighboring countries of Bangladesh and northeastern states. So, that has a great potential that there is multiple ways of northeastern states interacting with India and also with outside world. So, that is the point they are saying here. So, that is the most importance of this project. So, for example, they have given scenario for security convenience and transportation. It is a game changer for connectivity reducing long distance traveled by a Siliguri corridor. So, if northeastern states are able to West Bengal here logically means why they were choosing West Bengal is a port connectivity. So, northeastern state does not have a proper port connectivity whenever there is a port connectivity ultimately that results in global trade. So, under this project they are going to try to connect northeastern states with the Indian ports and also with Myanmar. So, they can use the potential of that particular geospatial areas. One is connecting with India another is Myanmar. So, northeastern states has opportunity for a global trade along with that we can also connect with Asian countries. Okay, that is the importance of this project Kaladhan. Just keep that in mind Kaladhan multimodal transit. So, multimodal means all different ways. Okay, for example, it can be land in land waterways all these are multimodal. So, that you need to keep in mind. So, this is another important piece of information regarding northeastern states which you can use it for your answer rating what government is doing for development of northeastern states. So, another important piece of information regarding northeastern states is almost 8 percentage of northeastern states is a bridge to Southeast Asia and the bridge between India and vibrant economies of Southeast Asia including southern China. This has a huge economic significance of this area and endowed with natural resources. So, potential of northeastern states what is the potential of northeastern states that is given as the information here which you are seeing. So, you can see that all northeastern states have international borders. So, they have international borders that is a great potential for northeastern states and 8 percentage of that is being shared with Southeast Asia. As I already said that Southeast Asia means you can relate with Asian bloc which is a new market. So, when we say India and export import means traditionally we always look over for west either it can be European countries or US as a market but government says that in our neighborhood we have Asian bloc which is the most economically vibrant bloc where you can have a trade relationship. So, new market potential is possible when we are able to understand the geostatic importance of northeastern states that is the information they have given that is they share around 8 percentage of international borders of northeastern states shared at Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia significance is nothing but new market and also we have the policy of act is policy. So, another we can also relate with act is policy. If you want to have very successful act is policy that all depends upon the vibrant northeastern states. So, that is the information you need to understand. Okay. Thank you.